Stats & Training
Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Cacturne's Attack does the work, Speed pays the price. But you're still getting 2 Attack and Sp. Atk EVs per KO. Moderately hard to find, on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve.
Packs of them follow travelers through the desert until the travelers can no longer move.
Packs of them follow travelers through the desert until the travelers can no longer move.
Cacturne Weakness
Cacturne is weak to Bug, Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, and Flying. Watch out for Bug attacks, those deal 4x damage. On the flip side, it's immune to Psychic-type moves entirely. It resists 6 types, so it can switch into a lot of moves safely. Water Absorb grants an additional Water immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 4x (Critical) | Bug |
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Ice, Fighting, Poison, Flying |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Infernape can KO Cacturne with Close Combat (181-214%). Dragonite threatens a KO with Outrage (154-181%). Gengar's Focus Blast also KOs at 183-215%.
 Infernape FireFighting | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityBlaze ItemExpert Belt NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Infernape builds →Close Combat 2x181-214%KO U Turn 4x141-167%KO Fire Blast 2x119-140%KO | ||
 Dragonite Dragon | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityInnerfocus ItemLife Orb NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Dragonite builds →Extreme Speed69-81% Outrage154-181%KO | ||
 Gengar GhostPoison | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemLife Orb NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Gengar builds →Shadow Ball46-54% Focus Blast 2x183-215%KO Explosion79-93% | ||
 Lucario FightingSteel | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityInnerfocus ItemLife Orb NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Lucario builds →Close Combat 2x269-316%KO Extreme Speed59-70% Bullet Punch45-53% | ||
 Forretress BugSteel | B | |
Recommended Build AbilitySturdy ItemLeftovers NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Cacturne View Forretress builds →Rapid Spin18-21% Explosion89-105%KO Payback9-11% | ||
HeartGold & SoulSilver Evolution
Cacturne is what Cacnea becomes. Breed it for Cacnea eggs (average hatch time). A decent partner pool for breeding via two egg groups. Eggs are average hatch time. The evolution from Cacnea pushed Cacturne to 475 total stats. Attack saw the largest single gain at +30. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Cacturne to get Cacnea eggs easily using 45 partners from the Plant and Humanshape egg groups. Notable egg moves include Acid, Counter, Dynamic Punch and 7 more.
HeartGold & SoulSilver Cacturne Best Moveset
Best Build
No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 4.
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Moves
Egg moves make a real difference. Cacturne gets Acid and Counter exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Poison and Fighting coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Solar Beam and Energy Ball.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
How to Get Cacturne in HeartGold & SoulSilver
No wild encounters for Cacturne in HeartGold & SoulSilver. Bring Cacnea over from Ruby, Emerald, or Scarlet, then level through the stages. Each step in the chain is laid out below.
How to Obtain Cacturne in HeartGold & SoulSilver
Step 1Obtain CacneaCatch in the wild in:
Then trade to HeartGold & SoulSilver to continue the evolution chain.
Also found in:
Step 2Cacturne ✓
Cacturne Guide
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Cacturne looks average on paper at 475 BST. But Water Absorb is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier cannon on our tier list.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Cacturne's biggest threats include Scyther (Bug), Blaziken (Fire), and Lapras (Ice), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Scyther is the most dangerous since Bug moves deal 4x damage. Fighting, Poison, and Flying-type attackers are also a problem. With 6 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter.
Cacturne gets Water Absorb and Sand Veil. But Water Absorb is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Cacturne is a mixed attacker with base 115 Attack and 115 Sp. Atk. Speed tells the real story. At base 55 Speed, it won't be moving first often. Fits the cannon role.
In HeartGold & SoulSilver, Water Absorb is the hidden ability. It absorbs water moves, healing for 1/4 max HP. Worth hunting for if you want Cacturne to compete at a higher level.
Game Availability
Debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Cacturne appears in 14 games across 8 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through wild encounters.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves